Google Ads for consulting firms
measured to a signed engagement, not a click
People searching for a consultant are usually comparing a short list of firms already. Most accounts we look at still call a form fill a win and never check which keyword led to a signed engagement. We fix that tracking gap first, then run the campaign against it.
Where the budget actually goes
Consulting clicks are expensive, so a click that was never a buyer costs you more here than almost anywhere else. Students and job seekers researching the firm click on the same keywords as real prospects. If nobody separates them out, a real chunk of spend goes to clicks that were never going to become a client.
The second gap: counting a form fill as a win. An inquiry lands in the ad platform as a conversion, but plenty of those inquiries never turn into a signed engagement. Sometimes the budget does not fit, sometimes the scope is wrong. Without a CRM join, the campaign chases a number that has nothing to do with revenue.
Third, treating every practice area as one audience. Strategy, operations and transformation work pulls in different searchers with different intent. One campaign covering all three usually underperforms three campaigns built for each.
What we actually fix
We start with the account and the conversion event, not new ad copy. An audit of your existing campaigns and tracking almost always turns up something fixable. Tracking that stops at the form. Broad keywords pulling in research traffic. One campaign trying to cover practice areas that each need their own targeting and message.
We rebuild tracking through to the signed-engagement stage and join it to your CRM, so you can finally see which keyword is actually worth the money. Negative keywords and audience exclusions cut the research and career-interest traffic. The campaign splits by practice area, so bids and copy match what each buyer is really looking for.
Where you stay in control
The discovery conversation, scoping and the proposal stay entirely with your partners. Our job is building the campaign and the tracking that gets a genuine prospect to that conversation reliably, nothing more.
Price and timeline
| Package | Price | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Agency runs it | from $1,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Full control, handover-ready | from $2,000 | 3 to 4 weeks |
Related
Pair this campaign with the AI agent for management consulting firms, so inquiries get a fast, qualified first response any hour. Or add utilization and pipeline analytics for management consulting firms to see which practice area and campaign actually produces signed revenue. See the full package breakdown on the performance marketing service page, or get a written audit plan with a fixed price.
FAQ
What does it cost to start?
Audit and launch starts at $1,000. That covers the account audit, conversion tracking through to signed engagement, campaign structure, first ad copy, and a two-week watch period. Ongoing management is $1,000 a month and up.
What ad budget do we need?
Consulting keywords run high cost-per-click given the engagement values involved. A realistic minimum is $2,000 to $3,000 a month per practice area, so the algorithm has enough conversions to learn from.
How do you track through to a signed engagement, not just a form fill?
Conversion tracking fires on the inquiry. A CRM join then confirms when that lead becomes a signed engagement, so campaign value is measured against actual revenue, not raw inquiry count.
Can you split campaigns by practice area?
Yes, and it matters more here than in most categories. A strategy engagement and an operations engagement attract different search behavior and convert at different rates, so each needs its own targeting and bids.
Can you filter out students and job seekers researching the firm?
Yes, a tight negative keyword list and audience exclusions cut a meaningful share of career-research and informational clicks that routinely inflate consulting-category accounts.